By Tim Elmore   Back in 2006, musician John Mayer released a song for millions of twenty-first century young adults. It was called, “Waiting on the World to Change.”    While the tempo is upbeat and cheerful, the lyrics represent a melancholy, even despondent mood. They express a powerlessness to make any difference; that the power lies with “the man.” […]

By Tim Elmore   I enjoyed dinner with a group of business executives in Cancun, Mexico, recently. During our conversation, several spoke about the vacations they’ve taken with their children and how much they relished those trips. Eventually, however, those parents admitted they worried about their kids’ sense of entitlement. After all, they’d experienced places like the Amalfi Coast, Dubai, […]

By Tim Elmore   In 1994, Mother Teresa gave a speech where she recounted the story of four people on the street in Calcutta. She asked the sisters who were with her to take care of three of them, telling them she would tend to the fourth;  the one who seemed closest to dying.    As Mother Teresa did everything […]

By Tim Elmore   One of the best questions I’ve asked people over the years was this: “If you had to do it over again, what would you do differently?”   I’ve received priceless pieces of advice, often borne out of regret.   I know what I’d say. When it comes to connecting with kids or engaging students, I have […]

By Tim Elmore   Let’s face it. It’s harder than we thought it would be. A recent Pew Research Center poll revealed that most parents (62 percent) say that being a parent is harder than they expected, and more than one in four (26 percent) say it’s “a lot harder.” Unfortunately, those little tykes don’t come with an owner’s manual, […]

By Tim Elmore   It used to be that mom and dad’s role was to love their children and to get them ready to be on their own at eighteen when they leave home. It wasn’t just about protecting their kids but about preparing them for life.    Unfortunately, many parents and guardians haven’t done such a good job of […]

By Tim Elmore   This is part three of a three-part series that breaks down the six realities that kids today are facing. To read part one of the series, click here.    Today, we look at the final part of a three-part series on crippling realities that handicap today’s kids socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually. So far, we’ve […]

By Tim Elmore   This is part two of a three-part series that breaks down the six realities that kids today are facing. To read part one of the series, click here.    It’s funny how many unhealthy practices were once considered healthy and helpful by medical authorities. Products and drugs we now know to be destructive were once considered […]

By Tim Elmore   I spoke to an audience of parents recently and found a common thread among their concerns for their children. One after another shared how their child or teen:  Needed extra attention to complete assignments.  Was easily upset or paralyzed by normal hardships. Hesitated to take on new projects or opportunities.   Struggled to adapt to new situations. […]

By Tim Elmore   Kristie is a close friend who just sat beside a 22-year-old on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. She told me the young lady talked for hours. It was an insightful exchange that gave Kristie a peek into the world of Generation Z. She felt like she was talking to someone mimicking a social […]

By Tim Elmore   Most moms with young children are exhausted. At least the ones I meet are. They don’t regret having kids, nor do they resent the parenting journey. They’re just weary. Younger kids can sap the energy right out of you. I recall a humorous story about a mom who was with eight children at the park one […]

By Tim Elmore   This is part two of a blog series that began last week by discussing the dopamine addiction felt by many students. To read the first blog in this series, click here.    Last week, I wrote about the fact that we live in a generation that’s addicted to dopamine. We live in a society that loves […]

By Tim Elmore   Our kids today are growing up in a world where they can become addicted to happy chemicals. Let me explain. We live in a society that loves to “binge” on things we like. It may be addictions to drugs or alcohol, but it can also be simple pleasures like Netflix, TikTok, or even junk food.   […]

By Kiera Colson   Our blog today was authored by Kiera Colson. Kiera is a 19-year-old sophomore at Lee University and was an intern with us at Growing Leaders this past summer. Kiera is a brilliant young leader who is passionate about seeing her generation grow into their highest potential.   A two-week surprise vacation turned into a two-year realization […]

By Tim Elmore   When I talk to managers who say they lose young team members almost as quickly as they hire them, I am troubled. Corporate managers are asking a recent graduate to join a workforce that seems impersonal, like they’re a cog in the machine. While we know it’s tough for those young team members to make the […]

By Tim Elmore   I consistently meet executives who are confounded by the attitudes of their younger team members. These leaders witness their rookie colleagues fail to show any commitment or leave after just months on the job.   My friend Carl is president of his company and recently met with Hilary and Collin, both young employees who are less […]

By Tim Elmore   Dennis Cook was one of my teachers during my junior year of high school. He was a very effective educator. Upon reflection, I can see now that Mr. Cook focused on connections in his classroom as much as the coursework. By taking time to do this, he accelerated our learning and growth.   Mr. Cook practiced […]

By Tim Elmore   I once mentored a student named Rick who could have been voted by his classmates: The Least Likely to Become a Leader. He was unassuming, never assertive, quiet, and even introverted. In fact, I scared him the first time I suggested he should lead a group of peers. When he balked, I knew I needed to […]

By Tim Elmore   I have not always been a courageous leader. I began my career as a people-pleaser, only appearing to be a leader with convictions. When it came down to making a tough call, I sometimes buckled under the pressure of appeasing others.    In my twenties, I neglected to step in and confront a conflict between two […]

By Andrew McPeak   If you are lucky on Sunday afternoons on the steps of Central Library on Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, NY, you can watch as one by one, the members of the Luddite Club assemble together. They never know exactly how many members are going to show up because most of them have chosen to give up […]

By Tim Elmore   Have you noticed? Competition rules our day, especially for kids. Students experience constant competition with peers surrounding academic grades, indoor and outdoor sports, social media followers, video gaming, college scholarships, even friends. What’s more, we rank everything.   Today, everyone is either an adversary or an ally.    I should acknowledge that I’m a competitive person. […]

By Tim Elmore   I know a young woman who hosted a graduation party upon finishing college. As she and her boyfriend planned the party together, they decided to create an invitation that included a suggestive photo of the two of them. While it doesn’t show anything private, they appear to be naked behind a wall and smiling as she […]

By Tim Elmore   You’d have to be an ostrich with its head in the sand to miss what’s happened to our country over the last decade. We are polarized on many issues, but chief among them is how to even view our nation: Is America junk or a jewel?   One side of this issue points out how pitifully […]

By Tim Elmore   Bob Wagner is hiring for three positions at his plastics manufacturing company. In the past, he’s filled these positions with high school and college students as well as recent graduates. These days, he is interviewing older job candidates. In fact, his top candidate is 72 years old.    Why? you ask.   Bob would tell you […]

By Tim Elmore   Have you noticed everything today seems exaggerated? Life is happening at high volume and intensity. In a space crowded with noise, capturing people’s attention is the currency.    In such an era, we tend to use hyperbole as we communicate. We send text messages using all CAPS, three emojis, and several exclamation points at the end […]

By Tim Elmore   You may remember watching the movie, Mean Girls. It was an iconic film for Millennials back in 2004. The story was about mean-spirited high school students who required an intervention because of their judgmental attitudes toward frenemies. The movie was rightly named. For that matter, the film Top Gun: Maverick, while it contained stellar comradery, was […]

By Tim Elmore   Jamie teaches English Literature to high school seniors. She’s also a mother of two teens, so she sees the stress levels of young people today from both angles. She knows deep down that kids need a little stress to perform at their best, but she hates witnessing such anxiety in them.    It’s a common narrative: […]

By Tim Elmore   In the past few years, there has been an alarming rise in substance use among youth in the U.S. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics reports that 2.08 million teens, ages 12 to 17, reported using drugs in the last month. They deemed this issue a public health crisis.   We already know the high rates […]

By Tim Elmore   Jason couldn’t believe what he heard from the young job candidate. She became irritated twenty minutes into the interview and exclaimed in a loud voice that the interview was taking too long. Ted, another hiring manager, told me a job candidate walked over and touched his chest to find a heartbeat so they could connect “heart […]

By Tim Elmore   Years ago, social researchers revealed how little the average person thinks on their own. They reminded us that the law of diffusion is constantly in effect and explains human behavior: 2.5 percent of us are innovators. 13.5 percent of us are early adopters.  34 percent of us are the early majority. 34 percent of us are […]

By Tim Elmore   If you haven’t yet heard of ChatGPT, you need to look into it. It is a new app from Open AI, a Silicon Valley tech company that’s heralding it as a game changer. Unfortunately, it may not be changing the game for the better on all fronts.   ChatGPT enables you, as a user, to input […]

By Tim Elmore   My friend, Don Yeager, recently attended the National Speakers Association convention. In one of the sessions, an author stood on stage reviewing the content and writing process of his latest book. Eyebrows went up as he revealed the book had actually been written by ChatGPT. He smiled as he shared his journey using artificial intelligence that […]

By Tim Elmore   Max just told me about the project he completed for his Industrial Engineering class. This 19-year-old freshman at Louisiana Tech University had begun the assignment last semester. It was designed to help people in low-income communities enjoy sustainable living conditions. The project required skills in engineering, science, math, and lots of TLC.  It was impressive.    […]

 By Andrew McPeak   Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” You can order “Ready for Real Life” by clicking here.    In the summer of 2021, a young man named Norris was “caught” by local police in his Louisiana town—though “caught” means something different in Norris’ town. Several years before, the local police […]

By Andrew McPeak   Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” You can order “Ready for Real Life” by Andrew McPeak today by clicking here.   Several months ago, I heard the story of Kiffany Cody. Cody is a special-education teacher in Gwinnett County, Georgia, near where I live, and she faced many challenges […]

By Tim Elmore   In this last midterm election, I met a young 25-year-old candidate for city council. He was a first-time candidate and seemed to have the ear of the local public. Voters really liked him. He stood for change—and he represented a new generation of leaders. When I asked him if he was running because he enjoyed politics, […]

By Tim Elmore   I remember the day the story broke. Tiger Woods had cheated on his wife and family. In November 2009, tabloids reported Woods was having an affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. A few days later, he crashed his car in front of his Florida mansion at 2 a.m. Rumors suggested he was trying to flee her home. […]

 By Andrew McPeak   Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order of “Ready for Real Life” coming soon.    For more than a decade now, we at Growing Leaders have been giving adults training and advice for how to best understand and engage their students. In […]

By Tim Elmore   Every year, both the media and social media reveal to us how our culture is evolving. From the shows people watch, to the awards programs people celebrate, to the broadcasts and podcasts people tune into, we have much to learn this year, just by observing the habits of American consumers. I have three observations below based […]

By Andrew McPeak   Today’s blog is an excerpt from the upcoming book, “Ready for Real Life.” Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order of “Ready for Real Life” coming soon.    A few years ago, I read a quote in a parenting magazine where a concerned author and parent voiced the fear that many parents have about the […]

By Tim Elmore   I recently met with the faculty of a high-performing public high school. In our discussion, teachers mentioned how much parents got involved in their kids’ routines. At first, I assumed this was a positive remark, but later I recognized the type of parental engagement they referred to was not helpful at all. Every school enjoys parents […]

By Tim Elmore   Like most mothers, my wife shared a common objection when our kids were teens. She’d make requests of them, repeatedly, but get no response. To be clear, our daughter and son were not hearing impaired, nor did they have ADHD. It seemed they had selective hearing skills:   They often did not hear the words clean […]

By Tim Elmore   The numbers keep climbing. Both adults and students are suffering from anxiety levels that are worse than any period we’ve ever seen, including the Great Depression. More than 8 in 10 students admit to struggling with anxiety or depression on a regular basis, and adults report numbers have jumped from 11 percent in 2019 to 41 […]

By Tim Elmore   I could hardly believe my ears. Six freshmen college students participated in a conversation I hosted informally on their campus. I brought up the popularity of Instagram accounts, and they immediately smiled, as if they had a secret they were keeping from me. When I asked why they were smiling, two of them chimed in, saying, […]

By Andrew McPeak   Growing up, David Aguilar was obsessed with LEGOs. Like many kids he would build creations utilizing his imagination, but unlike many kids David was building to solve a specific problem: he had been born with only one hand.  David was born with a specific genetic condition called Poland Syndrome, which caused his right arm below the […]

By Tim Elmore You may have never heard the Betty Robinson story, but it’s worth knowing. It informs our work with students today. Betty was a kid who grew up a hundred years ago in Riverdale, Illinois. In high school, she had to catch a train to her campus, quite literally. One day, she found herself running on the platform […]

By Tim Elmore One of the best decisions my parents made was during the summer of my eleventh year. I begged them to let me go to Bobby Leonard’s Sports Camp, one state over, and three hours away. I pestered them long enough to convince them it was a good idea.    My parents dropped me off on Sunday and […]

By Tim Elmore   I was in a coaching session with a college freshman, who explained to me how she just wasn’t “a math person.” This launched a conversation about how Abby couldn’t do this or that, and that her career was likely very limited. Along with her math challenges, Abby said things like: “I don’t have a creative bone […]

By Tim Elmore The Seven Best Books I Read Last Year   Each year, I enjoy posting a list of my favorite books I read in the last twelve months. Admittedly, sometimes the books strike me simply because of the life station I am in. Books can stand out not so much because they are brilliant for everyone, but because […]

By Tim Elmore  When I reflect on past holiday seasons in my life, I see that I suffered from acute low self-awareness. It wasn’t so much that I ruined Christmas or Thanksgiving for anyone; I just hampered things for me. In retrospect, I see a pattern that offers a cautionary tale for all of us.   As a young man, […]